Tighter Assisted Living Controls Stalled

Ongoing debate over how to license assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania has forced the Department of Public Welfare to postpone new regulations for those sites. A law passed last year requires the state to license assisted living facilities, but disagreement among stakeholders has forced the Welfare Department to delay the implementation of the new rules until next year. Diane Menio, Director for the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, says the current regulations lack important protections for residents from deceptive marketing practices. Menio says her group and the larger Pennsylvania Assisted Living Consumer Alliance would like to see the regulations require facilities to disclose information about services available and what they will cost before residents move in. Debate over how much room a person in a wheelchair needs to live comfortably has also become a stumbling block.